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"Left or Right?"

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Mike (9 posts)
Aug-04-01, 04:44 PM (EST) "Left or Right?" I am a little unsure... on a two track route, do trains normally run on the left or the right? Does it vary from country to country?Apologies if it's been covered before...Mike Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
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Subject Author Message Date ID RE: Left or Right? chuckzeiler Aug-04-01 1 RE: Left or Right? milwaukeefan Aug-04-01 2 RE: Left or Right? ccyko Aug-04-01 3 RE: Left or Right? sniper297 Aug-04-01 4 RE: Left or Right? milwaukeefan Aug-04-01 5 RE: Left or Right? chuckzeiler Aug-04-01 6 RE: Left or Right? SHEPLEY1935 Aug-06-01 8 RE: Left or Right? Mike Aug-05-01 7 RE: Left or Right? fhornuk Aug-06-01 9 RE: Left or Right? Mike Aug-06-01 10 RE: Left or Right? fhornuk Aug-06-01 11 RE: Left or Right? rpladers Aug-09-01 12 RE: Left or Right? Matt Vince Aug-16-01 13 RE: Left or Right? sniper297 Aug-16-01 14 RE: Left or Right? bleuzzmann Aug-16-01 15

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chuckzeiler (122 posts)
Aug-04-01, 05:21 PM (EST) 1. "RE: Left or Right?" LAST EDITED ON Aug-04-01 AT 05:46 PM (EST)Depends on what railroad and who you talk to. The railroad I'm most familiar with is the CB&Q, which favored right hand running. On the other hand, I'm somewhat familiar with the C&NW and they favored left hand running. I'll leave it to a C&NW fan to explain why.It also depends on how the signals are set up. Some railroads were signalled only for right hand or left hand running, so if you came to a passing siding or double track territory, you'd have to use the track that was signalled for your direction of travel. The CB&Q area I'm most familiar with is the triple track between Chicago and Aurora. It was signalled for both directions on all three tracks, but generally, it was dispatched as right hand running. This also had somewhat to do with the suburban platforms being mostly on the outside tracks, so the general practice was locals used the outer tracks (right hand running, eastbounds used the south track, westbounds used the north track) and express and through trains would use the middle track. Of course there were always exceptions. For instance, the East End Way Freight would leave Eola on the "wrong" main (eastbound on the north track) because that train would only go 10 miles before getting off the main to do local switching at Naperville. It was easier on the dispatcher (and rail traffic) to run him the wrong way rather than cross all three main tracks at Eola, and cross all three tracks again at Naperville. A photo may help:This is an eastbound Denver Zephyr at Naperville, Il on June 10, 1965. Notice the three black circles on the signal bridge. They are the signal heads for westbounds. Notice to the left of each black circle is a silver circle. These are the backs of the signal heads for eastbounds. If any one of these were not present, then that track would be signalled for one direction only.Sorry, can't speak for Europe or Japan. Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
milwaukeefan (102 posts)
Aug-04-01, 08:10 PM (EST) 2. "RE: Left or Right?" I know that in the US and Canada the only railroad that ran left handed was the CN&W, and UP has continued that ( most likely because of the huge costs and operational nightmares associated with resignalling a double track main) Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
ccyko (202 posts)
Aug-04-01, 08:38 PM (EST) 3. "RE: Left or Right?" This is the normal, right hand running, though some exceptions do apply besides the C&NW, a lot of time it depends on demands... The UP coal trains that run through here (Memphis) come across the bridge on UP tracks (right hand), then proceed onto the NS tracks where they run left handed through the yard, then switch to right hand running, though left hand running is usually for local, and short run service. Also, the Lake St. line which I began modeling mid-july and has been released in several versions, when opened ran left hand, and continued that way into the 1960s, then it switched to right hand and tower 18 had to be reconfigured when it did. As well as the switches and platforms were reconfigured. Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
sniper297 (194 posts)
Aug-04-01, 08:38 PM (EST) 4. "RE: Left or Right?" You know, I'm gonna have to go to the Burlington and Milwaukee commuter stations to check, but I know that even tho the C&NW was absorbed into the Union Pacific several years back, and the commuters are all Metra now, they STILL run on the wrong side - probably cuz they're too lazy to change the signals. Check out my Lake St. EL shots in the utilities section, they were all shot from the Westbound commuter platform at Marion St., which is still on the South side of the tracks, next to the EL tracks.
As for why they did it in the first place, if I can ever hunt up my Dad's copy of "Prarie Rails" I'll see if I can find out. Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
milwaukeefan (102 posts)
Aug-04-01, 08:42 PM (EST) 5. "RE: Left or Right?" I know for a fact they still do it, and I have no clue as to why. Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
chuckzeiler (122 posts)
Aug-04-01, 10:45 PM (EST) 6. "RE: Left or Right?" I don't have a lot of evidence, but I know the C&NW did (in the past) run on the left side. CNW E-8AB #503 near Arlington Heights, IL, October, 1980 CNW F-7 4070A at Wheaton, Il on 11/1/65 Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
SHEPLEY1935 (28 posts)
Aug-06-01, 08:29 AM (EST) 8. "RE: Left or Right?" When the C&NW RR decided to double track their main line their depot's were on left hand side of the track. Rather than tear down these structures to put in the other track management decide to lay rail to the right hand side of the existing track.
With the advent of Centralized Train Control (CTC) Despatchers gained the ability to run trains in any direction on either track.
CTC was developed during World War 2 to permit single track railroads avoid the extensive cost and delay of double tracking their main lines! The Santa Fe RR was the classic example of this! Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
Mike (9 posts)
Aug-05-01, 05:35 PM (EST) 7. "RE: Left or Right?" Thanks for that guys, all this has been very interesting... There is a lot more to all this than I imagined.So in general, I can comfortably work with right-hand running (in the US at least) as a general `rule of thumb'.Thanks again for all your help.Cheers,Mike Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
fhornuk (22 posts)
Aug-06-01, 12:46 PM (EST) 9. "RE: Left or Right?" In the UK all trains run on the left (like we driveon the roads over here), in France mainline trains run on the left too (because their 1st railways were built by Brits, whereas in the rest of Europe it s minly right drive running (90% cirtain of that!). As a rule of thumb I woulday that in most nations (apart from some ex British colonies where cars drve on the right and trains on the left) trains run on the same side that cars do onthe roads.Cheers,Bill Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
Mike (9 posts)
Aug-06-01, 04:24 PM (EST) 10. "RE: Left or Right?" Bill,I guess then that ours run on the left too. I haven't taken a country trip for years, but I get the impression that our suburban networks, particularly in the inner suburban area, use either side (depending upon traffic requirements I suppose).Thanks for that, it is very helpful.Cheers,Mike
Melbourne, Australia Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
fhornuk (22 posts)
Aug-06-01, 05:50 PM (EST) 11. "RE: Left or Right?" Mike,You're right, on busy suburban and urban lines (except for light rail which has street running - for obvious reasons!!!!) most lines in most countries will be signalled for bi-directional running for the obvious operation flexibility. But the 'default' running line will normally be as I described in my previous posting.Cheers,Bill. Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
rpladers (3 posts)
Aug-09-01, 06:19 AM (EST) 12. "RE: Left or Right?" Hi,
In post-Soviet territories trains run right-hand.
It depends on the amount of swithes between the tracks if
tracks are equipped with both-direction signals, normally
each block with possibility to turn out is equipped with at
least a dwarf signal(s)Ralfs
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Matt Vince (7 posts)
Aug-16-01, 07:09 PM (EST) 13. "RE: Left or Right?" Here in the UK, and in lots of Europe, its on the left as u look from the cab, although some lines are bidirectionally signalled, so it could be either. Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
sniper297 (194 posts)
Aug-16-01, 07:16 PM (EST) 14. "RE: Left or Right?" LAST EDITED ON Aug-16-01 AT 07:24 PM (EST)Just an addendum to the above, I agree with my brit cousins, left is right and right is wrong. The C&NW was ALWAYS correct, it was you other guys who were running on the wrong side of the tracks!
NorthWestern Nut,
By the S-curve,
Chicago Remove | Alert Edit | Reply | Reply With Quote | Top
bleuzzmann (218 posts)
Aug-16-01, 10:57 PM (EST) 15. "RE: Left or Right?" LAST EDITED ON Aug-16-01 AT 10:57 PM (EST)One other line that ran 'left' tracked was the Duluth, Missabe, & Iron Range Railroad in Minnesota. This was a line that ran the heaviest regularly scheduled steam trains in the world, using the M3 Yellowstone 2-8-8-4 loco. They hauled loads routinely three times as great as the 'Big Boys' of UP, although on a much easier grade (0.3 percent or one in 330). The Duluth, Missabe, & Iron Range ran left handed on 70 miles of double track sections.bill
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